Antiphon, Speeches (ed. K. J. Maidment)

On the Choreutes

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[43] There is, indeed, one very striking indication that he did not rob the prosecution of their rights: whereas Philocrates yonder tormented other magistrates who had to render account of their office¹ with vexatious complaints, he failed to come forward with any grievance when this particular Basileus, whose conduct, we are told, had been so outrageously high handed, was rendering account of his. What clearer indication could I present to you that Philocrates had suffered no injury from either myself or him?

[44] Moreover, after the present Basileus had come into office, there were thirty clear days from the first of Hecatombaeon onwards,² on any of which they could have registered their charge, had they wanted to; yet they did not do so. Similarly, they could have registered it any day they liked from the first of Metageitnion onwards. But even then they did not do so: they let twenty days of this second month by as well. Thus the total number of days in the present archonship on which they could have registered their charge, but failed to do so, was over fifty.³ [45] Ordinarily, anyone who has not time enough under one archon . But the prosecution, who were perfectly familiar with the laws concerned and could see that I was a member of the Council and used the Council-chamber --why, in that very chamber itself stands a shrine of Zeus the Councillor and Athena the Councillor, where members offer prayers as they enter; and I was one of those members: I did as they did: in their company I entered all our other sanctuaries: I offered sacrifices and prayers on behalf of this city: nay more, I acted as a Prytanis for the whole of the first Prytany save two days⁴ : I was to be seen sacrificing and making offerings on behalf of our sovereign people: I was to be seen putting motions to the vote: I was to be seen voicing my opinion on the most momentous, the most vital public questions.

¹ The euthunai of a magistrate consisted of public examination of his accounts and general conduct at the end of his period of office. There was a corresponding dokimasia, or preliminary investigation of his fitness, before his installation.

² Hecatombaeon was the first month of the official Attic year; it extended from 22nd June to 21st July. Metageitnion followed it.

³ The words “over fifty” look like a rhetorical exaggeration. For the bearing of this and the following section on the date of the speech, see Introduction.

⁴ The boulê was divided into ten sections, each representing a tribe. Each section took it in turn to act as presidents (prutaneis) for a period known as a prutaneia(one tenth of the year) at meetings of both the boulê and the ekklêsia. The prutaneis themselves were under the presidency of one of their number known as an epistatês who was selected by lot. It was he who put motions to the vote in the Assembly. The Choregus was clearly epistatês during his Prytany.

Cross references from Raphael Kühner, Bernhard Gerth, Ausführliche Grammatik der griechischen Sprache (ed. Ildar Ibraguimov):
465 [Gebrauch des Artikels bei Pronomen und Zahlwörtern mit und ohne Substantiv.]
465 [Gebrauch des Artikels bei Pronomen und Zahlwörtern mit und ohne Substantiv.]

Cross references from William Watson Goodwin, Syntax of the Moods and Tenses of the Greek Verb:
31 [I. Tenses of the Indicative: Present.]

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OCLC: 5331826
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